Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Rough outing in final spring start
Rotowire
Waldichuk, who's slated to open the regular season in the starting rotation, allowed five earned runs on four hits, four walks and a wild pitch across 3.1 innings in a Bay Bridge Series exhibition loss to the Giants on Sunday. He struck out six.
Waldichuk is heading into the regular season with a worrisome spring body of work in tow, as the left-hander allowed multiple earned runs in each spring appearance and gave up four home runs across 13.2 innings. Nevertheless, with Paul Blackburn (finger) and Drew Rucinski (hamstring) both unavailable for Opening Day, Waldichuk will still have a chance to show if he can turn his fortunes around early in the campaign.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Rotation spot secure
Rotowire
Waldichuk will open the year in the Oakland rotation, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Waldichuk has struggled significantly this spring, recording a 9.58 ERA and 2.23 WHIP while walking more batters (eight) than he's struck out (seven). That's something to keep in mind should those struggles continue into the regular season, but for now, Waldichuk's job isn't at risk.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Hit hard this spring
Rotowire
Waldichuk has allowed nine earned runs on nine hits and seven walks while recording four strikeouts across six innings over three Cactus League appearances (two starts).
Waldichuk has made a less than convincing case for a rotation spot this spring given his poor numbers. Two of the nine hits the southpaw has conceded have left the yard as well, but Waldichuk, who posted a 2-2 record, 4.93 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across his first seven big-league starts at the tail end of last season, should still have at least a couple more Cactus League opportunities to right the ship before Opening Day.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Seven shutout innings
Rotowire
Waldichuk (2-2) allowed three hits and one walk while striking out four across seven scoreless innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Angels.
Waldichuk ended his season in impressive fashion, turning in the longest start of his career. He posted a 7.15 ERA across his first five big-league starts, but he allowed only one earned run across his final 12 frames and two starts to end the campaign on a positive note. The end result was a 4.93 ERA and 33:10 K:BB across 34.2 innings, and Waldichuk should be a strong candidate to begin the 2023 season in the Oakland rotation.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Strikes out eight Friday
Rotowire
Waldichuk allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners.
Waldichuk had some trouble in the first inning, with the lone run against him scoring on a Ty France RBI double. After that, Waldichuk didn't allow more than one baserunner in any of the next four innings before turning things over to the Athletics' bullpen. The rookie southpaw's strong effort lowered his ERA to 6.18 and his WHIP to 1.37 through 27.2 innings across six starts. He's added a 29:9 K:BB while going 1-2 in his first taste of big-league action. Waldichuk is tentatively lined up for one more start, which would be a home date against the Angels.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Tallies first win
Rotowire
Waldichuk (1-2) gave up four earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four over five innings to tally the win in a 10-4 victory over the Mets on Saturday.
Waldichuk allowed two home runs and threw only 71 pitches but was awarded the win thanks to an unusually ineffective Jacob deGrom and some poor outfield defense by the Mets. It was Waldichuk's first major-league win. The 24-year-old left-hander has made five starts since being called up at the beginning of September and has given up three runs or more in four of the outings. He is tentatively expected to make his next start at Seattle.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Struggles in fourth MLB start
Rotowire
Waldichuk (0-2) allowed five runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings to take the loss during Sunday's game against the Astros.
Waldichuk began Sunday's matchup by retiring six of the first seven batters he faced over the first two innings of the game, but he allowed plenty of baserunners in the bottom of the third inning before being pulled with two outs in the frame. He's now given up at least three runs in each of his last three starts, and Sunday's outing marked the first time that he hasn't lasted at least 4.2 innings over his first four big-league appearances. The southpaw has posted a 7.13 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 17.2 innings over four starts with Oakland and projects to make his next start at home against the Mets on Saturday.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Yields five runs
Rotowire
Waldichuk allowed five runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Tuesday.
Waldichuk's start was bookended by trouble -- he allowed two runs in the first inning and three more in the fifth. Still, he left in line for the win, but the Athletics' bullpen couldn't maintain the lead, denying Waldichuk his first major-league win. This was the worst of his first three starts, and it's a little concerning he struggled against an inferior opponent. The 24-year-old southpaw has a 5.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 14:5 K:BB through 15 innings. He's tentatively projected for a difficult road start in Houston this weekend.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Mixed bag in debut
Rotowire
Waldichuk allowed one earned run on five hits and four walks while striking out six across 4.2 innings Thursday against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision.
Waldichuk showed promise in his big-league debut, racking up six strikeouts on the strength of 15 swinging strikes across 93 total pitches. He also showed some struggles with control, which isn't particularly surprising given he had a 3.4 BB/9 across 95 innings between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Overall, it was an encouraging outing for Waldichuk, and he should have the chance to stick in the rotation for the remainder of the campaign.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: Called up prior to start
Rotowire
The Athletics selected Waldichuk's contract from Triple-A Las Vegas ahead of his scheduled start Thursday in Washington.
Oakland designated right-handed reliever David McKay for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Waldichuk, who will be making his big-league debut Thursday. The 24-year-old lefty, whom the Athletics acquired in the Aug. 1 deal that sent Frankie Montas to the Yankees, posted a 3.53 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB in 66.1 innings across 15 starts at Las Vegas and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on the season. With a strong showing over his starts with Oakland in the final five weeks of the season, Waldichuk could stake his claim to a permanent rotation spot with the Athletics heading into the 2023 campaign.
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Athletics' Ken Waldichuk: MLB debut coming Thursday
Rotowire
Waldichuk will have his contract selected to start Thursday against the Nationals, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
It was reported earlier Tuesday that the left-hander would receive a call-up when the major-league roster expands to 28 players Thursday, and he'll immediately step into the rotation for Oakland. Waldichuck was acquired from the Yankees as part of the return for Frankie Montas, and the 24-year-old has a 3.53 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB across 66.1 innings at the Triple-A level this year.
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Yankees' Ken Waldichuk: Dominant in first Triple-A start
Rotowire
Waldichuk pitched 5.1 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks while striking out nine batters in a no-decision.
Waldichuk was promoted to Triple-A last week after posting a 1.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB over 28.2 innings with Double-A Somerset. The left-hander continued his dominance in his first Triple-A outing Sunday, and he has now struck out 55 batters over 34 innings across two minor-league levels this season. Waldichuk's emergence could lead to his first big-league call-up at some point this season.
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Yankees' Ken Waldichuk: Makes leap to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Yankees promoted Waldichuk from Double-A Somerset to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.
The 24-year-old lefty will climb to the top level of the minors after he dazzled over his six outings at Somerset, churning out a 1.26 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 46:10 K:BB across 28.2 innings. His early breakout this season has made him an advanced arm worth monitoring in the Yankees' system, but Waldichuk's lack of a spot on the 40-man roster likely puts him behind at least Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt for a move into the big-league rotation if New York requires an extra starter at any point in 2022.
